Firearms have been used for several centuries for various purposes including as weapons for warfare, law enforcement, self defense, hunting, and target practice. Although many new weapons and weapon systems have been developed, firearms are still widely used and soldiers are trained in firearm use and carry firearms in essentially all armies throughout the world. Over time, firearms have been improved in many ways, but opportunities for improvement still exist in particular areas and for particular aspects of these devices.
Firearms have been constructed with a magazine that holds ammunition for the firearm. Magazines have been used that can be changed out quickly when one magazine is empty, speeding up the process of reloading the firearm. Magazines have been attached to the remainder of the firearm with a latch or catch, and a release mechanism, such as a button or lever, has been used to release the catch and thereby release the magazine, for instance, so a full magazine can be installed in its place.
In addition, firearms have been constructed with a bolt catch that retains the bolt or carrier in an aft or pulled position when the last round in the magazine is fired. The bolt catch allows the operator to change the magazine, release the bolt catch, and continue firing, without charging the weapon (e.g., pulling the charging handle). In this manner, the bolt catch makes it easier and quicker to reload the firearm. In a number of firearms, the bolt catch can also be used to hold the bolt or carrier back or open for other purposes, for example, to clear a jam or malfunction within the weapon, or to inspect the chamber.
Bolt catches have been made with a lever that pivots about a point of rotation and that have a bolt release pad that an operator presses (e.g., with a thumb or finger) to release the bolt. In a number of firearms, the lever also has a bolt engagement pad or feature that the operator can press while the bolt is retracted to engage the bolt catch and hold the bolt or carrier back, e.g., when the magazine is not engaged. Typically, the bolt release pad and the bolt engagement pad are located on the same side of the firearm and are activated or operated by the user by pressing the appropriate pad or feature to release the bolt or engage the catch.
Ambidextrous bolt catch release levers have been sold that extend around the exterior of the firearm to the other side of the firearm so the bolt catch can be released from the opposite side of the firearm. In some applications, an extended bolt catch lever allows the user to engage and release the bolt catch from one side of the firearm and to also release the bolt catch from the other side of the firearm. In the prior art, however, it was not possible or practical to engage the bolt catch from both sides of the firearm. Moreover, in prior art ambidextrous bolt catch release levers, the operation of the bolt catch release was different on opposite sides of the weapon. The differences in operation of the bolt catch lever on the two sides of the firearm made operation of the bolt catch complicated.
In addition, magazine releases have been made with a magazine release feature, pad, or button, that an operator presses (e.g., with a thumb or finger) to release the magazine. Typically, the magazine release button is located on one side of the firearm and is activated or operated by the user by pressing the button to release the magazine. For example, the button can be attached to or be part of a rod that extends through the lower receiver of the firearm, and pressing on the button can cause the rod to translate, against the force of a spring, to move an arm on the opposite side of the lower receiver from the button, to release a catch and release the magazine.
Ambidextrous magazine release mechanisms have been sold that include a lever on the opposite side of the firearm from the stock magazine release button. The user can press on the lever to move the arm, rod, and button, to release the catch. In such prior art ambidextrous magazine releases, however, the lever is not in the same location on the firearm as the button, and activation of the lever is not the same motion as activation of the button. In addition, in prior art ambidextrous magazine release mechanisms, the operation of the release was different on opposite sides of the weapon.
The differences in operation of the bolt catch lever on the two sides of the firearm and the differences in the operation of the magazine release on the two sides of the firearm resulted in operator errors, particularly in stressful situations, such as protracted firefights, when the operator was fatigued, when the operator was not very experienced with the firearm, or when the operator was wounded or injured. In addition, ambidextrous bolt release levers that extended around or along the outside of the firearm (e.g., the lower receiver) and ambidextrous magazine releases that used a lever on the outside of the firearm were at risk of damage, snagging on things, collecting debris, etc.
Needs or potential for benefit or improvement exist for firearms wherein the bolt catch can be engaged and released from either side of the weapon, the magazine can be released from either side of the weapon, or both, using the same or a substantially similar motion on either side, using levers, pads, or other features that look, feel, or operate similarly on both sides of the firearm, that are located more within the firearm (e.g., within the lower receiver) rather than externally, that can be used more easily or more quickly, that are more robust, or a combination thereof, as examples. Room for improvement exists over the prior art in these and other areas that may be apparent to a person of skill in the art having studied this document.